The present invention relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner system in which cooling air for the condenser unit can be selectably directed toward the compressor to provide supplemental cooling of the compressor during cooling operation of the unit. If installed in a heat pump system, when in a heating mode, the airflow is selectably blocked.
In outdoor air conditioning units (ODU), typically a fan draws air inwardly through the condenser coils, which air is exhausted outwardly (typically upwardly in a barrel-type system) to the ambient air. Since the fan is usually located at the top, the compressor, which is also housed in the same cabinet, receives only incidental air movement for cooling, relying instead upon convection into the air stream of the condenser cooling airflow.
As the demand for energy efficiency increases, as does the awareness of overall energy usage, air conditioning units have begun using larger outdoor units to provide relatively large condensers (as well as evaporators located in the furnace) to reduce electrical usage. Although providing higher efficiency than conventional units a few years old, the newer units are relatively large and somewhat unsightly, require more material to fabricate, are more difficult to install due to their size, and are more expensive as an initial investment.
There exists a need, therefore, for a high efficiency air conditioning system which is relatively compact compared to the present day high efficiency units.